An FA president has now told his top-flight players to get bodyguards after a series of attacks targeting footballers featuring hammers and acid.
Football Association of Malaysia president Hamidin Mohamad Amin has urged professional players in the country to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves after three footballers were viciously attacked, with one even suffering from fourth-degree burns.
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"If you are a big player, you can consider what the overseas footballers are doing, which is to get a bodyguard," he said, per The Star via Al Jazeera.
The latest footballer to have undergone a traumatic experience is Malaysia Super League side Johor Darul Ta'zim FC midfielder Safiq Rahim, who was reportedly threatened with a hammer by two assailants who smashed his car's windscreen on Tuesday.
The 36-year-old was not injured in the assault, but took to social media to share a police report and the damage sustained by his car.
"Didn't expect to be attacked near the Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) training centre. We need to be vigilant," he wrote.
The spate of attacks first began when Malaysia international and Terengganu FC forward Akhyar Rashid sustained an injury during a robbery that took place outside of his home last week.
He was reportedly attacked by two assailants and sustained injuries to his head and leg.
Three days later, compatriot and Selangor FC star Faisal Halim was splashed with acid in front of a shopping mall in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.
The winger is understood to have suffered burns to his neck, shoulder, hands and chest as a result, with his club's deputy president confirming that a plastic surgeon had classified the injuries as fourth-degree burns.
Halim's speech and movement are also said to have been affected.
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Police continue to investigate the attacks, but the motive/s therefor remain unknown.
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